Overview
- The UK Health Security Agency has activated an amber cold-health alert for the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, with a yellow alert for the rest of England from midday Monday until 8am Friday.
- The Met Office has issued snow and ice warnings for parts of Scotland and northern England, running from Monday through Thursday.
- Doctors explain that cold triggers normal vasoconstriction in hands and feet, while Raynaud’s is an exaggerated response that can cause white or blue discolouration and significant pain.
- Raynaud’s can be linked to autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as nerve or limb injury, and symptoms may be worsened by beta blockers.
- People are urged to keep warm with layers and gloves, use warming products or heated gloves, photograph any new changes for review, and discuss treatment options such as calcium channel blockers or, rarely, surgical sympathectomy with a GP.